Even in Loss Comes Love
by ShadowIceDancer
Summary: When Blake left to stay with her cousins in Japan, she knew it was time for a break. But when she is called to help with several local murders, she begins to fear for her own life and sanity. Will anyone be there to help keep Blake from falling apart?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks for checking this story out. It actually started out as a Yomi story, but then I figured he probably wouldn't want to mate a human. So now it is a Kurama story! (I will try another Yomi story later...)

This is just the first chapter of the story and I can't be positive when I will get around to updating it, but I will try. I want to warn you that this will be a rather dark story and may not be for anyone faint of heart - I plan to have some gore and some sexual scenes.

Anyway, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Yu Yu Hakusho characters. Blake Meister, however, is mine.

* * *

"How does the jury find the defendant?"

"We the jury find the defendant guilty of all charges."

The court room burst out in excited chatter. The infamous 'Killing Casanova' had finally been caught and convicted.

Next to the two District Attorneys congratulating each other on their win, Blake Meister sat, silently thanking her lucky stars that this horrendous affair was over. For the past six months, her life had been a living nightmare trying to figure out who the killer was and how to catch him before another young woman was killed. What had made it a true nightmare was that her dearest friend was the third girl attacked.

The horror of getting a call that another body had been found, and then going onsite to investigate, only to discover that the dead body belonged to your best friend. Blake shuttered at the memory.

She slowly stood up and began to pack her report into her briefcase. All she wanted right now was to get out of that court room in peace.

"Good job, Ms. Meister. Everyone on the team greatly appreciates the effort you put into this case. I know it was difficult for you." She turned to the D.A. that had spoken to her.

"Of course, Mr. Coleman. I just wanted to see the man caught for what he did. No matter how hard it was for me personally, the job had to be done by someone."

"Well we are all glad it was you. I don't think anyone else could have figured out that mystery."

She offered a small smile. Old Mr. Coleman was a very pleasant man to work with. Blake just wished the circumstances had been different.

"We all know how trying these past months have been. Blake, please take some time off. Everyone in the office thinks it would be good for you. No one should have to deal with what you were put though." He knew she had worked around the clock to find every possible detail that would close the case.

She gave a heavy sigh. "I'll think about it. I do have to check with Chief before deciding anything else. As a matter of fact, that is where I am heading right now."

Mr. Coleman nodded. "We can simply put you on conference call for the sentencing next month, if your testimony is even needed. So you just be carefuland take that vacation. And please get plenty of rest."

Blake turned back to her briefcase and picked up her last paper before slowly walking around the D.A.'s desk to head out the courtroom door. Once again she was stopped.

"Please accept my condolences, Ms. Meister. I know this was a difficult case. And your first one out of college, too. I can't even imagine." It was the defense counsel.

I guess it was too much to hope for a quick escape, Blake thought. She put on a smile. "Thank you Mr. Drake. It was a hard case to deal with. All I would really like to do is head home for a long bath. If you would please excuse me, I'm sure there is the press to handle today as well." They both shared a sad smile and turned away.

Blake made her way past the rest of the people without having to stop and managed to find an out of the way door to the courthouse parking lot. She got in her car and hastily drove to the Chief's office. She had a report to turn in and then finally, finally, she could go home to rest.

* * *

Chief's office was actually the third floor of the West Side FBI building. She stepped out as soon as the elevator dinged. Normally, Blake wouldn't ride in an elevator, but today was a different story.

Every officer on the floor stopped talking and turned to look at the new arrival. They all knew about the case Detective Meister had just wrapped up. None of them wanted to be the one to speak first.

Blake was thankful for their silence. She just had to hand the folder to Chief and then she could go home. Her eyes stayed glued to the tile floor as she briskly walked over to Chief's office door – he was the only one on that floor with an actual office. She knocked and strode in without waiting for permission to enter.

She tossed the manila folder with her report onto the desk. "Here. I put in everything relevant. If it's not there, it didn't have anything to do with what occurred in court." She could almost feel the warm bath water she had been wishing for the past two hours.

Chief picked up the folder and rifled though it. "Everything appears to be in order. Is there anything else, Meister?"

"No, that's all."

Chief looked up over the folder to peer at her face.

"Close the door, Ms. Meister."

Blake stared at him in surprise before quietly shutting the door. She took a seat in front of the desk and folded her arms. "Was there something you needed, Chief?"

He silently gazed at her, taking in all of the changes to her person that had happened since she first began working under him.

Blake Meister had come to him after a personal recommendation from a close friend, with the impression that she was just another hot–headed detective fresh out of college, most likely thinking she was invincible. He thought she would balk at what she was expected to see and do. How wrong he had been.

She was calm and level–headed, always thinking and almost never brash. She was intelligent and followed her gut, knowing exactly how she wanted to act; she made her conclusion fit the facts, not the other way around like so many others tried to do.

Chief had honestly never met someone as good at this job as her.

Looking at her now, you'd never know she was a young twenty – something that had just graduated less than a year ago. She had easily lost ten pounds and couldn't be getting more than an hour or two of sleep each night. She had obviously taken less care of her hair and body and a look of pain was in her eyes almost constantly.

Taking a deep breath, Chief finally voiced his thoughts.

"Blake, you need to rest. Go someplace and just get away. You need to live again." There. It was out.

Blake felt a wave of relief at his words. She had wanted to leave the northwest ever since she had had to check on a body discovered on a forest trail in the middle of a storm. She needed a change. "I like that idea, but there's a lot left to do here. I put everything on hold so I could finish this case."

"No, you need to go on leave. Get your health back. You look like a wraith. Go visit with family or something."

"I suppose I could go visit my cousins. They've been bugging me to stay with them since graduation."

"Good, good. I can give you extended leave and you can visit the Kuwabara's."

Blake faintly smiled. She had missed her lovable cousins and needed time away from the country. She could go to Japan for a couple of months and get away from all of the hype surrounding the murders she had solved.

"Alright, Chief. I'll call Shizuru up and see about staying with them. All I ask is that I can keep my badge and credentials while I'm there. Deal?"

"Deal. Give my regards to your family and don't come back to the office until you've gained back those ten pounds. Oh, and try not to attract too many dead bodies will ya?"

* * *

This is so ridiculous, Blake thought. She had been waiting for an hour and a half for her cousin to pick her up at the airport. It was bad enough that she had to sit though such a long flight, but now she had to wait in an airport that was filled with people who were giving her odd looks. Pale skin, stormy sea eyes, and golden brown hair really stood out when you were standing in the middle of a flood of Japanese people. Oh, how Blake wished her cousin would hurry up.

She glanced up every time a rough voice spoke, thinking it might be her cousin. She may speak fluent Japanese thanks to her mother, but it was so easy to tune the words out that she was now only listening for the gruff voice of her cousin.

A loud voice eventually called her name from her right. She looked up from her people watching and mental complaining to see a tall man with ginger hair. "Hey Blake! Over here!"

She pushed herself off of the pillar she was leaning against and strolled over to the man. Her first real smile in nearly six months pulled across her face. "Hi Kazuma! It's been so long. Good to know I can always rely on your hair to stand out."

His narrowed eyes looked her over. "At least my hair is the only thing that does stand out. And at least I have some meat on my bones. Have you even been eating?" Kuwabara knew his cousin from the states had a difficult job, but if she was neglecting her health, he and Shizuru would have to intervene.

Blake didn't appreciate the jab. "I know. I've lost weight. It's been a long six months," she snapped out.

"Don't worry, Blake. We'll make sure you don't starve." He threw his arm across her shoulder and steered her toward the luggage claim. "Let's pick up your bags and head home. Sis probably thinks I got lost or somethin' on my way here."

The drive to the Kuwabara house had been relatively quite. Blake and Kuwabara exchanged stories from the past couple years while Blake watched the scenery go by the SUV's window. It had been years since she had visited Japan. Her last trip here was when she flew out to celebrate her own and Kuwabara's thirteenth birthdays. Their birthdays were in the same month, so everyone decided it was time to have another cheerful family get together.

Her mother's funeral had been the previous time Blake got to see the rest of her family.

Kuwabara interrupted her trip down memory lane. "Just to warn you, we already had something planned and it was too late to change the day when you called to tell us you were coming to stay. Shizuru and I are having a casual little 'party' with a small group of friends."

Blake raised an eyebrow in question.

Kuwabara got the message. "It's only a few people. Do you remember Yusuke Urameshi? It'll only be him and his girlfriend Keiko, and like four other people. You can just stick around to say hello and then disappear to your room."

"I will hold you to that. Although… I do kinda remember Yusuke and Keiko. And if I remember everything correctly, this should be a very interesting evening." Blake smirked. She remembered Yusuke Urameshi alright. That incident was one of a very few pleasant memories from the time of her mother's death. Walking with Kuwabara to the drugstore only to have his Jr. High rival beat his ass into the ground. They had had to buy a bag of ice before heading home.

"Keh. Things are different now."

"Sure… Whatever makes you feel better."

* * *

Blake flopped down on the bed in the guest room and frowned at the ceiling. When she and Kuwabara had finally gotten to the house, they found a note from Shizuru saying she had left to go get the rest of the food for the party. This party had Blake's nerves on end. No doubt it would be another time she would have to plaster on a fake smile and pretend everything was perfect, even if the only people coming were close friends of the family. Knowing Kuwabara, he probably kept everyone updated on her case.

Well, no use laying here brooding on something that hasn't happened yet, she thought.

Blake stood up and began unpacking all of her clothes, just now realizing how much she had packed in the first place. She knew she would be staying for several weeks but this was a bit much.

"Hey kiddos! People are at the door. Get down here!"

Blake started. After unpacking, she grabbed one of the books she brought along and sat at the foot of the bed to read. Once she noticed it was a murder mystery, Blake spaced out. She began to think about each of the gruesome scenes she had witnessed recently. She had been going backwards, about to reach the one she dreaded seeing again when Shizuru called her and her younger cousin down.

She waited for her cousin to go bounding down the stairs before Blake made her way to the living room. On her way down, she heard several voices as well as a slight squeal from Kuwabara – a very disturbing sound considering his deep voice.

"So, Kuwabara. Where's this cousin you've been tellin' us about? I'd like to meet a chick who can handle as much gore as any guy." There was the sound of a slap and a girl telling the guy who spoke to be respectful.

"Can it, Urameshi! And don't go callin' my cousin a chick. Blake is very successful and deserves respect." Blake could imagine her cousin folding his arms and sticking his nose in the air. He was so stuck on his 'honor code'. She did think it was cute, but not something she would ever want to deal with permanently.

"As much as I appreciate the kind words Kuwabara, I'm not very successful and I deserve respect only when I finish a case with as few bodies as possible." Blake entered the living room as Kuwabara ended his last statement. She didn't fail to notice every face seemed shocked by the way she looked. They would just have to deal with it.

Looking around for an excuse to break the silence, she instantly recognized Yusuke Urameshi with his gelled back hair. She almost grinned but kept it back before it got out.

Kuwabara glanced up when he heard his cousin walk in. She still had a haggard appearance that probably wouldn't leave for many weeks. "Guys, this is my cousin from the States, Blake Meister. Blake, you remember Urameshi don't you?"

Blake could no longer hold back her grin. "Of course I remember Yusuke. You two are the cause of all of my good memories from my last couple of visits."

Yusuke watched the young woman standing next to his friend. He could just remember a younger version of the girl laughing at him and Kuwabara years ago. "I know you. You're the one girl who wouldn't try to stop me whaling on Kuwabara when we were kids. Good to see you again."

A vain in Kuwabara's forehead ticked. "Yes we know that Urameshi. Anyway, the girl standing next to him is his fiancé, Keiko Yukimura. And the beautiful young lady right here is my sweet Yukina."

Blake stared at the short girl next to her cousin. This must be the one he fawned over whenever she talked to him on the phone. She wondered a little at the teal color of her hair, but she had seen stranger things.

"I remember Keiko; it's nice to see you again after so long. And it is also very nice to meet the girl Kuwabara has told me so much about."

"Thank you Miss Blake. It is very nice to meet the cousin Kazuma has spoken so highly of."

"No need for the 'miss' part; just Blake is fine."

Kuwabara smiled at how well his cousin and his love were getting along. He knew they would like each other. "I'm glad you two seem to like each other. This is-" He was interrupted by a tall, quite handsome red headed man. Blake could just see this guy as the new 'Killing Casanova' – an alluring man that will hurt you in every way once you're alone with him. It sickened her how many people were like that.

"My name is Shuichi Minamino. I am an old friend of Kuwabara and Yusuke." The red head smiled at Blake, holding out his hand to lightly grasp hers.

Blake tried to shake off her misgivings before giving a slightly forced smile and shaking his hand. She was slightly surprised by how callused yet stillgentle it was; how much work did this guy do? "It's very nice to meet you, Shuichi. How long have you known my cousin?"

"It's been about nine or so years."

"Oh." Blake turned back to Kuwabara. If there was anyone else here, she wanted to know. It was just her instinct. "Anyone else I need to know?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke shared a look. Yusuke glared at him. He just lost twenty bucks to Kuwabara. Yusuke had bet that Blake would be falling all over Kurama the second she saw him.

"Genkai is floating around here somewhere. Probably in the kitchen getting drunk with Sis already." Kuwabara left to make sure the two psychics weren't drinking the night away and to put some space between himself and Yusuke's fist. This meant Blake had to make conversation with four strangers. Yusuke took care of that problem, however.

"So… Kuwabara said you work in forensics. I didn't think a girl would want to grow up to work with dead bodies."

Blake gave a small laugh. "That's not exactly what I do. My work is more the psychological aspect of murder, although I am a forensics expert. You might actually be a little disturbed if you knew exactly what my job involves."

Yusuke rose to the challenge. He was after all part demon, and a demon lord at that. "Try me."

"You asked for it. I take the clues from a murder scene and then use them to get inside the killer's head. In essence, I recreate the murder for the police from the murder's perspective."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "How would that disturb me?"

Blake let a sadistic smile cross her face. This was the question with an answer that made everyone blanch. "It should disturb you because I get an in-depth view and investigation of the body and the murder scene. And might I add that not every death is caused by a simple bullet to the heart. I get called in for the grisly cases."

"Oh? Care to enlighten me?"

"My first case was a young teenage boy who had his throat torn out as well as bones broken and poking out of his skin, not to mention a certain lower region that had been smashed flat. Put bluntly he looked like he had been swung at by a sledge hammer before the monster who killed him went for the throat. That is what I see on a daily basis in the field and in the court room."


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! So yeah, StrawberryxXxKisses, I'm sorry this is out a few days late, but oh well. Shopping at MAC and having a successful night of teaching figure skating put me in the mood to edit and update. Anyway, I will hopefully start updating more regularly, but we'll see.

Please enjoy the new chapter!

**Discalimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. (Do I really need to put any more of these up?)**

* * *

Yusuke gawked at Blake. "Are you serious? That is what you investigate? I thought Kuwabara meant like a couple of stab victims here and there."

"Nope. I see this while on scene and in the courtroom when I testify." Blake looked around at the four faces in the room. She felt a little bad after seeing Yukina standing with her eyes wide and her tiny hands covering her mouth in horror. Keiko was a little more composed, but she was still paler than what could be considered healthy.

Kurama however, watched the young detective with a curious eye. She obviously had seen a lot in life, but there was more to what she was saying. She almost seemed to be mocking… What he couldn't understand was why she held that tone. It did not sit well with the spirit fox to not know what her words meant.

"I'm sorry. I should be keeping the details to myself. No one should ever have to hear of them. What exactly are you doing now, Yusuke? Still sticking to the original plan of getting hitched to Keiko and running her family's restaurant?"

Yusuke gave an undignified snort. "Of course!" He threw an arm around a now blushing Keiko. 'Getting hitched' was not how she would've phrased it. "We're actually engaged already."

It was Blake's turn to snort. "Then why do you two still act like you're in third grade? This doesn't look much different from the last time I saw you guys, except that Keiko is letting you touch her now."

Yusuke's face turned sour. He remembered those days very well. "What about you? Your boyfriend can't be happy you're spending who knows how long half way across the world. If you can even get a boyfriend." He smirked. Blake was rather pretty, but as he remembered, she didn't like being teased. That and anything to get the conversation off of him and Keiko.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Yusuke. There's been no time for that recently and not many guys are interested in girls who work with dead bodies for a living."

Before Yusuke had a chance to retaliate, Kuwabara stumbled back into the room. "Uh, guys? I think we will have to reschedule this little meeting for another time. Genkai and Shizuru ate something that didn't agree with them and mixed with alcohol, it isn't a pretty site."

Everyone stared at him. "Okay… that didn't even take them a half hour. I think Keiko and I are just gonna go now. We'll see you guys 'round."

"Yes it was nice seeing you again Blake. I'll call you soon so we can have a girls' day out and catch up," Keiko called as Yusuke dragged her out the door. He really didn't want to be the one to clean up after the old biddy.

"Kazuma, do you think it would be alright if Genkai and I stay for the night? We can leave tomorrow once she feels better."

"Of course, my sweet. We'll get a room set up for you right now." Blake grabbed her cousin's arm before he could run off.

"You will help your sister and Genkai. I will get a room ready for Yukina. The linen closet is still next to the guest bathroom, right?" Kuwabara nodded. "Okay then. Come on Yukina, you and I will get you set up for the night." Blake took the girl's hand and led her up the stairs. She wanted to be nowhere near the kitchen for the rest of the night. Dead bodies were one thing, but the content of someone else's stomach was a whole other story.

Once he was sure the girls had left the room, Kuwabara looked over at the nearly forgotten kitsune. "Sorry about all this Kurama. I was really hopin' for a chance for you and Blake to hit it off."

He gently shook his head. "I hardly have the time or need for a romantic relationship at the moment Kuwabara, especially one that was set up. I do appreciate the offer though."

Kuwabara sent the fox a glare. That hadn't been what he was suggesting. "As much as I would like that for her, what I meant was that I think you two would get along real well. You could have an intelligent discussion with each other and share the same opinion on a lot of stuff. Besides, I just want to see her happy. I think having a strong, reliable friend would be good for her."

Kurama immediately picked up on his friend's somber voice. Maybe he knew why the sickly girl had seemed so harsh. "What exactly happened to her Kuwabara? She seemed rather… out of sorts this evening."

"Uh… well… I don't think I'd be the best person to tell you that story, heh." Kuwabara grimaced as he scratched the back of his head. He really shouldn't be telling anyone this – it was a _very_ personal story.

Kurama knew the other man was trying to hide something. He simply sat down in the nearest chair and waited for Kuwabara to start talking. When it appeared he wouldn't talk, Kurama tried a different route than the direct one. For some reason he needed to know; his mind just wouldn't let go of the image of the young woman's pallid and derisive face. Quite frankly, the image of her face like that scared him a bit. "If I know what is troubling your cousin, I might have an easier time befriending her. I will know what to avoid bringing up."

This seemed logical enough to Kuwabara. So long as it was never known that he was the one who told… "Okay, but if she asks, I didn't tell you any of this. You found it out on your own." He waited until the fox nodded. "Alright. Now how to start… I know. Do remember a few months back when the papers reported on that killer in the Northwestern US? The one Koenma warned us he might call us all in to help since it was so bad? Well, that was Blake's latest case. She would go out and check out the bodies and surrounding area, put together the clues and eventually caught the murdering creep."

"That does not sound all that traumatizing. How could someone used to that line of work become so dejected? She appears to have stopped caring."

Kuwabara shrugged. "How would you feel if one of the victims was your best friend? Blake got a call that another body had been discovered and showed up to see the bloody torn up mess that used to be her friend. She's spent the last few months throwing herself into her work. She blames herself for not solvin' the case in time to prevent Kristen from being killed."

Kurama nodded his head in understanding. He knew the feeling. When Kuronue had died, he blamed no one but himself for allowing it to happen. The grief had been overwhelming. Of course, he had had hundreds of years to learn to deal with loss – Blake was a mere couple decades old. "I understand. I had an experience similar to that many years ago." Kurama rose from his seat. "I'm afraid I must be going. Please pass along my sympathies for Genkai and your sister. I hope they feel better."

"Sure thing. See ya round."

* * *

"Will this do, Yukina? I can grab another blanket if you'd like."

"This is fine Miss Blake. Thank you very much for your assistance."

Blake let a gentle smile cross her face. "There's really no need for the 'miss' part, Yukina. From the looks of things, you and my cousin are very close, so we will probably see a lot of each other. We don't need to be so formal."

"Alright Blake." Yukina let her gaze linger on the older woman. She could feel the emotions rolling off Blake and hitting her head on. "Is there something wrong Blake?"

Blake looked up in confusion. How would anyone think that something was wrong? She thought she'd actually stayed relatively composed and normal this evening. "Everything's just fine, why?"

"I just feel that something is disturbing you. Has something happened? With your work perhaps?"

Blake gave the red eyed girl an incredulous look. How could anyone _feel_ that something was wrong? And it didn't sound like Yukina was referring to a woman's intuition either. "Nothing that I can't handle, my dear. I just left a few things at the office unfinished, I must be thinking about that. Anyway, good night. I'm just next door if you need anything."

"Of course. Good night." Yukina watched her new friend close the door behind herself on her way out of the room. Something was upsetting Blake, but Yukina would wait until she wanted to talk to bring the subject back up.

Inside of her own room, Blake sat down on the end of the bed with her head buried in her hands. She sincerely hoped that not all of Kuwabara's friends were as in tune with feelings as his 'sweet angel' was. Blake didn't think she would be able to handle many more people asking about her last case. This was the whole reason she had left the states on vacation in the first place.

She shook those thoughts out of her head and stood to grab her pajamas. Once changed, she climbed into bed wanting no more than a full night's sleep.

'_Where am I?'_

_Blake tried to peer through the woods she was standing in. She couldn't see anything. A cloud finally moved from in front of the moon to reveal the little creek she remembered driving out to once during her case. Only now there were no police or investigators to be seen._

'_What's going on?' Blake began to walk along the creek, trying to find any sign of life._

_She just reached the point were the creek widened out when the clouds covered the moon again. Slowing down to a near crawl pace, she felt her foot hit something soft. Blake looked down expecting to see a build up of dirt and moss. What she saw caused her to stumble back with a silent scream on her lips._

_There in front of her was the mutilated body of her dearest friend._

_She began to scream._

She sat up in bed still screaming, her hands covering her face. Another hand suddenly grabbed her arm, trying to tug it down. She screamed louder.

"Whoa, Blake! Calm down!" She shut her mouth. It was just her cousin. Blake opened her eyes and saw her bedside lamp on and Kuwabara and Yukina standing next to her. Both had fearful expressions on their faces.

Kuwabara reached toward her again. "You okay? We heard you scream and came in to make sure there wasn't some psycho in here. Turns out you were just having a nightmare. Still, with the way you were screamin'… yikes. What were you dreaming about?"

Blake nodded her head. "I'm fine now. It was just a bad dream, nothing more." She clasped her hands in her lap. There was no need for them to know how much her hands were shaking because of a memory.

Kuwabara frowned. "No, Blake. You're not fine. You were screamin' bloody murder."

Yukina laid a calming hand on Blake's arm. "Please, Blake. Come downstairs and have a cup of tea with Kazuma and me. We can discuss what is bothering you when we have all woken up a little."

"No, really, I'm alright. Let's all just go back to bed so we can deal with Genkai and Shizuru tomorrow… sorry, later today. I promise I won't scream again tonight." Blake grinned. She really was feeling better now that the shock had worn off.

Kuwabara gave his cousin one last appraising glance before he and Yukina said there goodnights and left the room. He drew Yukina toward him before she could enter her room. "Yukina, I don't wanna worry you or nothing, but Koenma asked everyone to meet him in his office first thing tomorrow. Would you keep an eye on Blake for me? Just to make sure nothing else has gotten to her."

"Certainly, Kazuma. When will we be able to take Genkai back to the temple?"

Kuwabara waved this to the side. "Blake has her license; she can drive you guys out if you're giving her directions. Maybe afterwards we can all meet up to go out and relax. I think we all could use it."

* * *

"It's so gorgeous out here! The closest to this I have ever seen in the states was when I had to stay in the northwest, but I didn't really get to enjoy it. You're very lucky to be able to own land out here Genkai."

"It's alright. No need to make a huge fuss about some land. What's amazing is a complete stranger driving all the way out here to take me home."

Blake glanced in the rearview mirror. "Don't worry; it's no trouble at all. I enjoy seeing the scenery once in a while and I would have had to come out here to pick up Yukina anyway."

The hour drive to Genkai's temple really wasn't that bad – little traffic, quiet companions, and a terrific view – it certainly was a hell of a lot better than the LA interstate traffic Blake learned to drive in.

It was fortunate that Blake had thought to find out what the Japanese driving laws were before she left the states. With her cousin running off at the crack of dawn to some meeting and Shizuru still on the rebound, Blake was the only one available to drive the old woman home.

"You can pull over here. I'll walk the rest of the way."

Blake looked back in surprise. "Are you sure? We can at least walk with you if you don't want to stay in the car."

Genkai snorted. She might be old, but she was hardly inept. "I can handle a few minutes of jogging."

"Of course, Master Genkai. I will return to the temple this afternoon," Yukina waved her off.

As Blake pulled back onto the roadway, she couldn't help but ask. "Yukina, why exactly is she called 'master' Genkai?" No one she knew was called a 'master' except as a joke.

Yukina let out a low 'oh' as she realized the older girl had never been told about the groups' training. "Genkai earned the title as a master of martial arts. All of the boys in our group have at one point trained with her. Although, I'm not entirely sure that either K… Shuichi or Hiei had need of it."

Ah, here was Blake's chance to get some details before meeting up with these people again. "So are those two martial artists or just really skilled? I would imagine you have to be one or the other if you didn't have something you could gain from a master."

Yukina gave a soft laugh. "Oh they are incredibly skilled; all of them are. Hiei and Shuichi just have been involved in it for most of their lives. I believe Keiko is still considered the strongest person though."

"Why's that? I've seen her smack Yusuke a few times, but that was back in middle school."

"You will just have to wait and see."

* * *

Blake slowly stirred the fresh cup of coffee Keiko had made. She, Keiko, and Yukina were sitting in the Yukimura's noodle shop discussing possible wedding plans. Well, Keiko and Yukina were weighing the pros and cons of a carnation bouquet and Blake was staring morosely into her cup. The boys meanwhile… well, they were a half hour late.

"Finally!" Keiko exclaimed.

Blake glanced up at Keiko's grimace before looking over to the door of the shop. Yusuke, Shuichi, and a short, black haired boy were walking towards the table. She watched as Yusuke pulled out the chair next to Keiko and straddled it and Shuichi smoothly folded himself into another. The short kid leaned up against a wall.

"Kuwabara will be here later. He wanted to go check on Shizuru," Yusuke yawned out. "Stupid Koenma, wanted us there at the crack of dawn…"

Everyone chose to ignore his grumbling.

"What exactly did Koenma want, Yusuke?"

"Just a check on how everyone's doing. Nothing to worry about Keiko. I'm not going anywhere."

Keiko crossed her arms as she glared at her fiancé. "Good. I need you here to help plan a wedding, not gallivanting after criminals."

Blake noticed as each member of their party shot the woman a look. "Why are you all staring at Keiko?"

Shuichi immediately turned to answer her. "Oh nothing. Yusuke is just very sensitive about the topic of his career." Blake found that difficult to believe.

"Yusuke? Sensitive? Since when?"

"Hey, I resent that! Just because you-" He was cut by Kuwabara bursting through the shop door.

"Guys, we got a problem!" Kuwabara leaned on his knees trying to catch his breath. Blake and Yukina rushed up to him.

"Dude, you okay? Take some deep breaths, it'll help."

Yusuke meanwhile jumped up as his energy flared, ready to face any threat to his friends. "Kuwabara, what happened?"

"There's a group of police around the corner. I heard them say someone reported seeing a body there this morning. It looked pretty bad." The boys knew what he didn't want to say aloud. There was a demon involved.

Blake listened carefully to try and access the scene. If it really was bad then the police could use her help. Just because she was on a break from work didn't mean she couldn't 'assist'.

She quickly hopped up from her spot next to Kuwabara and ran to the door. "I'll call you guys later; I going to see if they need any help."

"Wait, Blake! You shouldn't go alone!" Shuichi's voice faded out as the door slammed shut behind her. Yes, she knew she probably should have listened to him, but she needed to do something to help if she could. She had done way to much sitting back and watching things unfold lately.

Down the street and around two blocks, she came up onto the scene her cousin had witnessed.

"Excuse me, ma'am. You can't be here, it's not safe."

Blake glanced over at the young officer. She flashed him her badge. "Detective Blake Meister, LAPD. What happened here?" her voice immediately went into professional mode.

The officer's eyes widened. He had heard all about Detective Meister. His whole department had followed her last case. He immediately motioned for her to duck under the police tape. "We had a witness call in a report about a body at 7:23 this morning; the poor woman was in hysterics when she called. Anyway, we sent out a couple men to investigate and found a badly mangled body. Actually, it reminds me a lot of the pictures we saw from your last case, Detective."

Blake froze. Surely no one would be cruel enough to copycat her case so soon after. "Let me see the body."

The young officer stopped. "Uh, maybe that's not such a great idea…"

"Now, officer."

"But I… very well." The young man reluctantly agreed.

"Hey! HEY! Let us through you assholes!"

"Yusuke there is no need for such language."

Yusuke ignored the fox's request as he skidded around the officer trying to block his way from running up to Blake's side. "You scared us running off like that."

"I'm sorry, Yusuke, but I need to help here." She turned to the officer. "Shall we?"

The four, after Kurama had politely gotten around the police barricade, walked though the mess of officials straight up to the chief in charge of the investigation. From there, he led Blake – with the rest following – up to where a body was covered with a small blue tarp.

"I warn you, this may be a bit disturbing…"

"Please, chief, just let me see the body." Blake could feel her heart racing. She just prayed that the remains would not appear as she now suspected they would.

The coroner quickly stepped forward at the chief's nod and pulled back the tarp. Beside her, Blake heard Yusuke's gasp and Shuichi's almost inaudible grunt. Unfortunately, nothing they might have said would have registered in her mind.

Right in front of Blake laid a teenaged girl who appeared to have died in the exact same manor as her best friend, all the way down to the ghastly agonized expression on what was left of the girl's face.

Before she could contain it, a horrified scream rent through the air as for the first time since her friend's death, Blake broke down in tears.


End file.
